Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota raised some eyebrows with a speech in Ironwood, Michigan, Thursday. Kocherlakota says — as long as inflation is not a problem — interest rates should stay low until unemployment falls to 5.5 percent from the current national rate of just over eight percent.

The speech surprised more than one economist because within the Fed Kocherlakota has the reputation of backing rate hikes to guard against inflation. Economists who spoke to Marketwatch called it “perplexing,” “a dramatic shift,” and “like something out of Saturday Night Live.”